From left, Paul J. Kenny, PhD; Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD; benefactors Pamela Nash, Helen Nash, Beth Nash, and Joshua Nash, member, Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees; and Richard A. Friedman, Co-Chairman, Boards of Trustees.
It has been a time of outstanding achievement for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Department of Neuroscience—worthy of a celebration.
On Wednesday, May 8, Mount Sinai leadership, benefactors, faculty, and staff attended a reception at the Hess Center for Science and Medicine to unveil the Department’s renaming to the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, an event held to honor the Nash family for their philanthropic generosity and extraordinary commitment to brain research.
“The Nash family has been supporting critical initiatives at Mount Sinai for more than 40 years and began a focused commitment to advance our neuroscience community more than a decade ago,” says Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute, and Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The research that has been made possible through the family’s generosity is being translated into fundamentally new and improved treatments for some of the world’s most devastating brain disorders. We are forever grateful for their commitment to this important work.”
Richard A. Friedman with guests at the reception. A substantial gift from the Friedman family allowed for the creation of The Friedman Brain Institute.
As a direct result of the Nash family’s support, Mount Sinai’s neuroscience program has seen unprecedented growth. Over the past decade, more than 40 basic neuroscience faculty have been recruited to Mount Sinai. Today, the Neuroscience department is ranked No. 1 in the nation among U.S. medical schools in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
“This is testament to the incredible research environment we have created at Mount Sinai with the support of the Nash family,” says Paul J. Kenny, PhD, the Ward-Coleman Professor and Chair of the Department, and Director of Mount Sinai’s Drug Discovery Institute, who has made significant contributions to furthering the understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of drug addiction and obesity. “With their tremendous support, we have built the depth and breadth of scientific expertise that is required for us to have a real impact in many key areas of brain research. We are translationally focused, so our work is highly relevant to human health and central nervous system disorders. We are also a very close community and we support all of our colleagues, particularly our junior scientists. We foster an environment of research excellence but also one of collaboration and support. As a result, we are second to none when it comes to research funding and scientific impact.”
Helen S. Mayberg, MD, left, with Helen Nash
Groundbreaking work in deep brain stimulation is being conducted in the newly established Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics, whose founding Director, Helen S. Mayberg, MD, Mount Sinai Professor in Neurotherapeutics, and Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery, is a pioneer in using brain circuit information to treat neuropsychiatric disorders. She is leading a team to harness the potential of deep brain stimulation—an innovative surgical procedure that has proven successful in treating movement disorders—to address a range of conditions that include depression, addiction, and schizophrenia.
“Additionally, we have researchers who have deep expertise in the mechanisms of gene regulation, and those with demonstrated ability to functionally dissect, manipulate, and understand brain circuitry in the context of complex behaviors,” Dr. Kenny says. “That is where research funding is increasingly directed, and we are on the cutting edge of neurocircuitry research.”
The goal now, Dr. Kenny adds, is to bring together the Department’s key strengths in brain circuitries and mechanisms of gene expression to drive new discoveries related to brain function and its role in disease. “Given the outstanding quality of research in our Department, and the level of NIH funding we have successfully competed for, I believe Mount Sinai is positioned to have a profound impact on human brain health.”
Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, welcomed guests and spoke about the strengths of the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience.